Hurricane Lee increased to an absolutely enormous storm overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, and is currently estimated to be roughly 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) across.
Even if Hurricane Lee doesn’t make landfall, its current trajectory is going to cause coastal flooding and extremely strong winds off the shores of the Northeast and into Atlantic Canada throughout the week, multiple forecasters said Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. While AccuWeather hopes Lee will be downgraded to a Cat. 2 storm by Friday, down to a Cat. 1 or Tropical Storm by Saturday and Sunday, there are multiple landfall scenarios being monitored at this time.
Hurricane #Lee is becoming a massive storm out in the open Atlantic, nearly 1000 km wide (621 miles).
That’s roughly the same distance from Boston to Detroit.
Even if the center of #Lee passes well off the coast of the Northeast, coastal flooding and strong winds could… pic.twitter.com/2SfHZym6BD
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) September 12, 2023
New England is already suffering from extensive flooding, which left vehicles stranded and homes damaged, as seen in footage shared online. Things would probably only get worse should Lee’s trajectory shift and sit over the region.
New England grappled with extensive flooding on Monday, leaving vehicles stranded and homes damaged. pic.twitter.com/wkbpWug7bf
— AccuWeather (@accuweather) September 12, 2023
At the same time, Hurricane Margot is heading in almost the exact same direction as Lee, but coming at the Northeast and Atlantic Canada from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean at the time of writing. But regardless of where Lee lands, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said there “will be little to no significance on exactly where the center reaches the coast.” The entire area is under threat of hazards, according to the agency, and all those living within it should prepare immediately. (RELATED: Major Hazard Warnings Issued As Hurricane Lee Continues Journey Up East Coast)
Two additional areas of disorganized storms are currently brewing between North Africa and northern South America, in a similar region to where Lee and Margot first formed. The NHC estimates a 50% chance these areas turn into a single cyclone in the 48 hours from the time of writing. As late summer weather continues to plague the U.S., we are almost certainly on track for a fall defined by hurricanes.